On Xuanyan Island, an earth-shattering battle was unfolding.
Perhaps calling it that was a slight exaggeration.
Yet for the crab and turtle clans, this was unquestionably a clash that would decide their very fates.
One sought an opportunity for their race's rise, determined to seize a Tier 4 spiritual vein by force. The other fought for a place to survive, defending their ancestral homeland to the bitter end, refusing to surrender a single inch of ground.
From the moment the five royal crab clans began cracking the first islet of the Nine Palaces Bagua Array, this war had been fated to erupt. Dragging it out to this very moment had already exhausted every ounce of strength the Ring-Headed Turtle clan possessed.
An ancient Ring-Headed Turtle walked out from the base of the massive mountain at the center of Xuanyan Island.
His clouded eyes gazed in all directions. A vast, majestic divine sense swept across the ancestral soil where he had lived for thousands of years, and wave upon wave of sorrow welled up in his heart.
His clan was never fond of strife.
Even when a Transformation Stage Demon Emperor had arisen among them in the past, they had merely lived peacefully within this Xuanyan Sea Domain.
As for the native demon beasts of all sizes across the sea, so long as they did not disrupt their lives, the turtles rarely imposed any compulsory rule over them, at most accepting them as vassals.
Yet the eventual fruit borne of such benevolence was the tragedy before him—corpses littering the wilderness, rivers of blood deep enough to float shields!
"It should still be in time, I hope!" he murmured.
Looking at the surviving Ring-Headed Turtles, he turned his gaze toward where Luo Chen had departed. That human cultivator had indeed bought them some extra time.
However, this was as far as it went.
He cast a glance back at the towering mountain behind him, then finally fixed his eyes on the five streaks of escaping light flying in from outside the island, as well as the demon clouds surging toward him from all directions.
"Come!"
"Let me fight this one last battle for my clan, to leave behind the final glimmer of life for the Xuanyan Ring-Headed Turtles."
As he muttered to himself, his body began to swell and expand continuously.
The bony plates derived from the dermis of his belly became smooth as a mirror, while the carapace on his back grew coarse and rugged as stone.
Ring upon ring of patterns spread across his entire frame, like the annual rings of a great tree, marking how many trials and tribulations he had endured throughout his lifetime, and how many cataclysmic changes he had witnessed.
In merely a few moments, a colossal sea turtle measuring eighty to ninety zhang across lay crouched upon Xuanyan Island.
At first glance, he resembled nothing less than a small expanse of land!
Right at that instant, five powerful attacks arrived simultaneously.
There was golden radiance, sleeves of kelp and algae, billowing venomous mist, crisscrossing spider silk, and raging fire plunging from the heavens.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Deafening explosions resounded across Xuanyan Island, echoing far out to sea.
Billowing smoke and dust rose high into the sky.
When the dust cleared, the ancient turtle Hailuo stood tall on the battlefield, completely unmoving.
Suddenly!
That body, vast as a miniature continent, began to rise slowly.
His four limbs, covered in thick keratinous scales, pressed firmly against the ground, propping up his massive frame.
A bright yellow halo enveloped his entire body, highlighting an imposing aura that was as motionless as a mountain and firm as bedrock.
Upon seeing that bright yellow halo, a heavy weight dropped into everyone's hearts.
The five clan patriarchs, in particular, suffered a sudden change of expression.
"A Demon Emperor's aura!"
"This is the aura of the Xuanyan Demon Emperor! Could it be that Xuanyan's remnant husk is on Hailuo's body?"
"Indeed! Only that explains why he dared to endure a combined blow from the five of us head-on without dodging or parrying!"
"This is troublesome. Who would have thought Hailuo would dare profane the ancestor's remnant husk and refine it into his own body?"
"What is there to fret about? It's merely a turtle shell—we just need to smash it!"
The one who spoke last was the habitually composed Jin Hun.
With the fruits of victory right before their eyes, how could they shrink back now?
Besides, with five against one, the advantage was entirely theirs!
In terms of living combatants, the comprehensive rout of the Ring-Headed Turtle clan and the self-detonations of numerous Tier 3 Demon Kings had stripped their enemy of high-end forces. The five royal clans, if gathered together right now, could easily muster several dozen Tier 3 Crab Kings.
Today, even if they had to grind him down bit by bit, they would grind this old turtle to death.
For this, his Overlord Crab clan was willing to pay any price!
Before taking action, Jin Hun glanced at the other four demons.
"Now that it has come to this, I trust you all have the resolve to risk everything!"
Chi Yan grinned savagely and strode forward.
Jiuzhua opened his mouth and slowly spat out a venomous hook, radiating a sinister aura that sent chills down one's spine.
Lü Xiu hesitated, caught in indecision.
Zhu Xiang shook his head and looked toward Jin Hun. "This battle may come at a heavy cost. The Azure Emperor clan, for instance, has very few Grand Demon Kings left. If we lose too many, our clan's future strength will plummet..."
He did not finish his sentence.
Yet everyone understood what he meant.
Jin Hun waved a massive arm. "Regardless, only by seizing this place will any of our five clans have a chance to give birth to a Demon Emperor. Whichever of us succeeds will inevitably unite the five clans and reign supreme over the Xuanyan Sea Domain! When that time comes, we will share all glory and all loss! To bicker over such petty calculations is far too narrow-minded."
His ambition was laid bare at that moment, stripped of all pretense.
Even though the others had long prepared themselves for this, their hearts still surged with emotion.
A Crab Emperor born to unite the five clans.
Dominating Xuanyan, forging a mighty demon faction across the Northern Sea!
Only when that day came would the clans under their command truly have a chance to rise, no longer suffering the bullying of other great demons, and no longer living in constant dread of human cultivators hunting and capturing them at will.
For such a future, they truly had to be ready to stake everything.
Lü Xiu, who had been wavering moments before, hardened her expression in an instant.
"Then let us fight!"
"Strike!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the five patriarchs revealed their true forms simultaneously, occupying five directions as they encircled and assaulted Hailuo, the old patriarch of the Ring-Headed Turtle clan.
Protected by the Demon Emperor's remnant husk, Hailuo showed no fear.
When he lashed out, he ignored incoming strikes with reckless abandon, seeking only to trade injury for injury, life for life.
One turtle and five crabs—six colossal behemoths engaged in the rawest physical carnage and the most violent demon arts, clashing in an unadorned, brutal slugfest.
The battle spanned such a vast area that low-tier demon beasts from both sides were forced to retreat from Xuanyan Island, leaving only Tier 3 Demon Kings able to linger at the edges of the battlefield to watch.
A most gory struggle thus raised its bloody curtain on Xuanyan Island.
***
*Crack!*
Perhaps the fierce combat had stirred the heaven-and-earth spiritual energy into violent upheaval.
Or perhaps heaven itself wept in sorrow at the impending extinction of a race.
As the great battle drew toward its close, dark clouds gathered over the Xuanyan Sea Domain, casting a suffocating pall across the world.
Amidst the dense, leaden cloud banks, silver serpents danced wildly, accompanied by deafening rumbles of thunder.
A tempest was brewing, and the raging tide was about to collapse upon them.
Pitted with craters and riddled with hollows, large swathes of Xuanyan Island began to be inundated by surging seawater.
Several mountain peaks that had once stood tall now lay toppled in haphazard disarray across the land.
The five patriarchs of the demon crabs stood in different locations, gasping for breath.
Every one of them was covered in wounds.
In the worst case, Lü Xiu had been cleaved nearly in half.
Even fighters as formidable as Jin Hun and Chi Yan had suffered broken giant pincers and severed legs.
A lingering dread clung to each of their hearts.
Hailuo, shielded by the Demon Emperor's remnant husk, had displayed a terrifying level of combat power.
Fortunately, his strength lay in defense rather than offense.
Otherwise, one or two of the five demons would have surely perished in this battle.
At this moment, all their fearful gazes converged on the center of the battlefield.
The ancient turtle Hailuo lay silently prostrate, motionless.
Looking closely, three of his four limbs were severed, his carapace was torn open, and his ventral plate was shattered, exposing large swathes of soft flesh stained crimson with blood.
Such a wretched sight left the few surviving Ring-Headed Turtles with reddened eyes, weeping uncontrollably.
After reaching Tier 3, Patriarch Hailuo had pursued the Xuan Turtle atavism path.
His present state was scarcely different from death.
Yet "scarcely different" meant he had not completely perished just yet!
Jin Hun spoke slowly. "Patriarch Hailuo, hand over the Demon Emperor's remnant husk of your own accord, and I will leave your corpse intact."
A low, heavy gasp came from Hailuo's mouth.
He struggled to open his eyes, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
He did not look at Jin Hun. Instead, he looked around at the several dozen Tier 3 Crab Kings glaring hungrily from every direction, before his eyes finally settled on the surviving clansmen gathered beneath the distant mountain peak.
He whispered softly, "Hand it over of my own accord? To whom? To you?"
Jin Hun's brow furrowed. Almost instantly, he sensed the unfriendly looks cast his way by the other four demons.
What a thousand-year-old turtle! Even on the verge of death, he still tries to sow discord among us!
Yet Jin Hun did not panic.
"Just hand it over. As for who receives it, we will decide among ourselves."
Hailuo tugged at his cracked mouth. "Is leaving my corpse intact your only condition?"
Jin Hun gave a cold snort. "That is already out of respect for your seniority among us. If you are still unsatisfied, I can make the decision to let your surviving clansmen leave the Xuanyan Sea Domain and seek another place to live."
At these words, Lü Xiu shrieked, "No! Letting the tiger return to the mountain will bring endless trouble!"
Zhu Xiang of the Demon Spider Crab clan barked, "Short-sighted! What is there to fear from a pack of stray dogs?"
Jiuzhua also said in a sinister voice, "We have been neighbors for so many years after all. Exterminating them to the last would indeed look bad."
Chi Yan laughed loudly. "My clan regularly roams the trenches and volcanoes beneath the sea floor. I happen to know a fine place where the Ring-Headed Turtle clan could reside."
Lü Xiu spat bitterly, "You all act so generous! My cultivation has been ruined today. If they ever make a comeback, my Azure Emperor Crab clan will be the first to suffer! I will not agree to letting them go!"
This female crab has lost her mind!
Secure the Demon Emperor's remnant husk first—afterward, wouldn't every matter be theirs to decide?
The condition Chi Yan offered was also quite fine: an area they knew well would allow them to keep watch over the Ring-Headed Turtle clan, and even enslaving and rearing them would not be out of the question.
Just as Jin Hun was about to speak, his gaze landed on Lü Xiu, and he suddenly realized.
Lü Xiu raising a ruckus now was not aimed at the Ring-Headed Turtle clan at all; she was using it as leverage to negotiate conditions with them!
Right as internal friction arose among them, the ancient turtle Hailuo gave a faint sigh.
"Forget it!"
"Three of this old turtle's four legs are severed. What talk of an intact corpse can there be?"
"Besides, begging others is never as good as relying on oneself. The future of my clan had best remain in our own hands!"
At these words, the expressions of all five crabs changed.
He still intended to put up a stubborn resistance?
Chi Yan flew into a rage. "Old bastard, you're on the brink of death and you still can't see the reality of the situation?"
Jiuzhua was bewildered. "Even the Demon Emperor's remnant husk has been brought out. What other tricks could you possibly have?"
The others were equally mystified as to what leverage the old turtle Hailuo still possessed.
Amidst their confusion, Hailuo murmured, "In my clan, the one at Tier 3 perfection is not merely an old, decrepit fellow like me!"
Qihuan!
Instinctively, that name sprang to everyone's minds.
Right at that moment, Zhu Xiang snapped his head up to look at the sky.
Silver serpents danced madly; lightning flashed and thunder rolled.
Across Xuanyan Island, surging spiritual energy churned in utter disarray.
Earlier, they had assumed this was merely the aftermath of their intense battle.
Now, however, it looked entirely different.
This spiritual energy was not demon qi refined by demon beasts, but pure, unadulterated heaven-and-earth spiritual energy.
It stemmed both from the earth veins and from the vault of heaven.
That feeling was akin to...
"Turning the false into reality, atavism and transformation!"
"Not good! Qihuan is forcibly triggering the Transformation Tribulation at this very moment!"
Seeing their scheme exposed, Hailuo showed no trace of concern.
Having stalled for so long, every preparation that could be made had been made, and every effort that could be expended had been expended.
Even his own old bones had been buried here.
It was time to witness the arrival of that slender thread of hope.
The next instant!
From the highest peak of Xuanyan Island, a giant python suddenly broke through the air, spiraling upward around the towering summit and darting straight for the firmament.
Looking closer, that was no giant python at all—it was clearly the neck of a great demon!
In this generation of Ring-Headed Turtles, Patriarch Hailuo had pursued the Xuan Turtle atavism path, while First Elder Qihuan had taken the Cliff Snake atavism path.
The former was old and frail; though his realm was at perfection, he ultimately could not take that final step.
The latter, however, was a powerhouse of the same generation as the five patriarchs.
After many years of cultivation, aided by the resources left behind by the Xuanyan Demon Emperor and stimulated by the immense pressure of his clan's impending extinction, he had finally taken that last stride.
The lightning tribulation crashed down!
In the very first wave, boundless lightning struck thunderously toward Qihuan's head.
Facing this assault, Qihuan beckoned with a reach of his hand, summoning a massive turtle shell above his head.
That was his original Ring-Headed Turtle body, gradually shed during his cultivation of the Cliff Snake atavism.
According to ancient custom, such a shed husk could be tempered by the power of lightning tribulation into a natal magic treasure, or even advanced into a true artifact!
Yet!
With just a single strike...
*Crack!*
The seemingly indestructible Ring-Headed Turtle shell shattered into a cloud of drifting ash.
The Cliff Snake Qihuan was struck by the residual lightning until his flesh split open, his aura withering instantly.
Seeing this scene, the five patriarchs, whose hearts had been in their throats, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Insufficient foundation. Forcing an advancement will only lead to failure."
"Qihuan is nothing to fear!"
Up in the sky.
Concealed beneath the boundless thunderclouds, Qihuan, quietly awaiting the second wave of the lightning tribulation, let out a wretched laugh.
"Patriarch, it truly isn't enough after all!"
In the cratered battlefield below, Hailuo's heart sank into gloom.
The ancestor had attained the Dao as a transformed Xuan Turtle, so the resources left behind naturally favored the Xuan Turtle path.
The help that could be provided to Qihuan was exceedingly meager.
Had Qihuan pursued the Xuan Turtle path, he could at least have relied on the ancestor's remnant husk to endure several more waves of the tribulation.
Yet now, even the first wave had been survived with such difficulty. With Qihuan's foundation, he would never withstand the rounds that followed.
"If that is so, then let the sacrifice of you and me secure the final sliver of life for our kin!" he murmured.
As he spoke, a bright yellow light emerged from within his body, transforming into a massive turtle shell that flew toward the surviving Ring-Headed Turtles beneath the mountain.
Seeing this, Jin Hun blurted out, "The Demon Emperor's remnant husk—the Xuanyan Armor!"
Even as he spoke, he had already struck out to seize it.
Chi Yan, Jiuzhua, and Zhu Xiang moved simultaneously with him.
Yet facing their bids, Hailuo merely sneered.
"You had better look after yourselves first!"
The four demons were baffled.
Right at that moment, the second wave of lightning tribulation in the heavens completed its gathering.
Qihuan let out a shrill shriek. Instead of resisting the lightning tribulation head-on, he inhaled a massive breath toward the ground below!
In the unseen realm, dozens of auras were drawn into his body.
At this moment, all the Tier 3 powerhouses of the five royal crab clans felt an eerie sense of connection with him.
It was none other than the innate demon art of the Cliff Snake clan—Tianya Bilin, Close Horizons!
Legend had it that once unleashed, this art could fuse the power of many into one, vastly augmenting oneself.
In ancient times, the Cliff Snake was not an exceptionally mighty demon beast, yet it stood alongside top-tier ancient beasts like the Xuan Turtle, Heavenly Wolf, and Thunder Roc precisely because a king of this clan could absorb the power of its kin into a single whole, matching the greatest ancient demons with the strength of an entire race!
However, such a demon art could never be used during a tribulation.
The lightning tribulation was a trial imposed by the Heavenly Dao upon a breaker of realms; it tolerated no interference from others.
Blending such impure, chaotic forces together would not only cause the power of the lightning tribulation to skyrocket, but its strike zone would expand from a single individual to everyone whose power was linked.
With Qihuan's abilities, he could not achieve that true ancient technique.
Yet he recklessly dragged in the auras of every Tier 3 Crab King from the five royal clans across the battlefield!
In this manner, the lightning tribulation would shower its wrath upon all alike.
He would die, but the others would certainly not have an easy time either!
Those demon beasts possessed limited knowledge and did not understand the profound implication of his action.
Yet when bolts of lightning thick as water barrels tore through Qihuan's body and crashed toward every Crab King on Xuanyan Island, all the Demon Kings panicked.
"How can this be?"
"Heavens, I only just entered Tier 3! I can't resist a lightning tribulation!"
"Patriarch, save me!"
Wails of agony erupted in an instant.
The more disheveled ones drove escaping lights in an attempt to flee Xuanyan Island.
The stronger ones, knowing they could not escape, exerted every technique at their disposal to resist the lightning tribulation.
Under this maneuver, even as the five patriarchs cursed furiously in their hearts, they were powerless to assist others and could only erect their own defensive measures to weather the lightning.
In an instant.
Heavenly lightning descended upon Xuanyan Island, pouring silver brilliance over the earth.
Rumbling booms shook the cosmos.
By this point, the strikes of the lightning tribulation made no distinctions; it no longer targeted a single individual.
Anyone even slightly close suffered the collateral impact.
The entirety of Xuanyan Island was engulfed under devastating bombardment.
***
In the swamp.
Han Zhan, who had originally intended to depart, had witnessed the progression of the great battle with his own eyes. The moment the lightning tribulation began brewing, he had abandoned all thought of leaving.
"A lightning tribulation!"
He was a figure who had once survived a Nascent Soul lightning tribulation, and he had even served as a Dao protector for his good friend Master Canglong.
One could say his understanding of lightning tribulations far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.
The moment the tribulation had begun gathering, he had noticed something amiss.
Still, he harbored some confusion.
"Is the Transformation Tribulation of the demon race this weak?"
"It only took a single day to accumulate."
"Or is it because the one undergoing the tribulation lacked sufficient foundation?"
Spurred by this curiosity, he had remained behind.
Then he had witnessed the descent of the tribulation.
When he saw the auras of several dozen Demon Kings linked together, all dragged into the tribulation, Han Zhan could not help but exclaim in admiration.
"What a move!"
"In the midst of a fierce battle, the one crossing the tribulation harvested the auras of all those great demons without anyone noticing. Then, using that connection, he borrowed the power of heavenly lightning to enact a final mutual destruction."
"Not only is the method ingenious, but his resolve is extraordinarily ruthless!"
Amidst his praise, a different notion sprang to his mind.
He glanced down at the Black Scaled Flood Dragon trembling on the ground.
"Black King, I have a task for you. If you complete it satisfactorily, your master will certainly reward you generously."
Black King raised his head. "What task?"
Han Zhan explained it one detail at a time.
Upon hearing the contents of the task, Black King shook his head repeatedly, terror filling his eyes.
"I'll die!"
"Don't you want top-grade Emperor Flowing Liquid anymore?" Han Zhan said with a beaming smile. "That devouring demon art of yours was awakened from your mixed bloodline precisely through Emperor Flowing Liquid. If you finish this task, wouldn't you have as much Emperor Flowing Liquid as you could ever want?"
Black King was tempted, but remembering the danger he would have to face, he wavered again.
"Go ahead with peace of mind. With me and your master here, you won't die. Besides, there will be an extra reward for you when it's done."
"Master is here too?" Black King asked in surprise.
Han Zhan smiled faintly. "You didn't think he would fail to notice such a massive commotion on Xuanyan Island, did you?"
Hearing that Luo Chen was nearby, Black King gritted his teeth.
"Fine, I'll do it!"
***
With the death of the demon crossing the tribulation, the heaven-and-earth lightning tribulation dispersed on its own.
The black clouds blanketing heaven and earth slowly melted away, leaving only a torrential downpour.
Under this colossal lightning tribulation, Xuanyan Island—already shattered by the great battle—had sunk several hundred zhang deeper, with massive volumes of seawater rushing in to submerge the land.
The surviving Demon Kings on the island were all battered, each gripped by terror.
Fortunately, the lightning tribulation had finally scattered.
This also meant that the battle had reached its final outcome.
Qihuan had used his body to guide the lightning and failed his tribulation.
Hailuo, having fought fiercely against the five clan patriarchs, had also passed away under the blanket of the lightning tribulation.
Among the five patriarchs who had their auras drawn in most deeply, Lü Xiu had perished, and Jiuzhua had fallen.
The three surviving demons were all severely wounded, their auras weakened to the extreme, with more than half of their cultivation shaved away; it would likely take centuries of bitter cultivation just to return to their peak.
The number of surviving Demon Kings was merely a dozen or so.
Evidently, the Ring-Headed Turtle clan's gambit for mutual destruction had failed.
Or rather, it could not truly be called a failure.
Zhu Xiang struggled to open his eyes, looking at the seawater pouring in from all sides and the sparse few surviving Demon Kings of the five clans.
The layout of this Tier 4 spiritual vein land had been ruined; with their demon race's methods, it would likely take a millennium to repair.
The strength of the five clans had plummeted, leaving them likely incapable of resisting great demons from other sea domains crossing over to contest the territory.
One could say this was mutual ruin, and mutual destruction.
"Hailuo, Qihuan... how vicious of you!"
Just as Zhu Xiang was taking in the surrounding devastation, Jin Hun nearby suddenly roared,
"Jin Ao, take our men and seize the Demon Emperor's remnant husk!"
From a sunken crater, a streak of golden light burst from the water, shooting straight toward that collapsed, majestic mountain peak.
At the same time, Jin Jia, another surviving Grand Demon King of the Overlord Crab clan, along with five Tier 3 Demon Kings, disregarded their wounds and followed close on Jin Ao's heels.
At this moment, seven demons moved out together, aiming to seize the carapace of the Xuanyan Demon Emperor hovering above the surviving Ring-Headed Turtles.
Yet before they could draw near,
a terrifying devouring force surged out from deep beneath the earth.
Stealing a march on them, it swallowed that bright yellow light directly into its belly.
Jin Ao immediately sensed that familiar aura.
"Vile flood dragon, how dare you!"
There was nothing Black King didn't dare do; having swallowed the Xuanyan Demon Emperor's shell, he swam straight toward the depths of the ocean.
The seven Overlord Crab powerhouses were just about to intercept him when their souls nearly flew out of their bodies. They felt a world-shaking aura descending from above.
All seven demons looked up at once, only to see a figure resembling a Great Roc standing tall in midair, pressing down with a single hand.
Boundless magic power condensed within it, wrapped in endless azure flames. A gargantuan palm print spanning thousands of zhang, having gathered force for a long time, crashed down with tremendous force.
*Boom!*
Against Xuanyan Island, which had already been teetering on the brink of collapse, this palm strike became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
The island began to sink into the sea with a tremendous roar.
Trapped at the center of the Great Qingyang Palm Print's strike, the seven demons let out blood-curdling screams.
A voice drifted down from above.
"Many thanks, fellow Daoists, for the gift of this treasure!"
The voice sounded distant and boundless, and by the time its reverberations echoed in their ears, the speaker was already far beyond the horizon.
Chapter 556